thanks... i did some looking around, the closest i found through pictures on the internet was a pigeon horntail... interesting, and hopefully not found in our kitchen next time... ;)

This wasp may be pale because it is freshly-emerged (though western specimens of many insect species are significantly paler than eastern specimens). It is conceivable that it emerged from firewood, or even a timber in your home, or a piece of wooden furniture. The larvae bore in dead wood, and can sometimes be trapped in milled lumber. This sometimes prolongs their life cycle by several years (at least that is what happens with similar wood-boring beetles such as buprestids). Don't worry, she won't re-infest your home if that is the case.